Crack the Case: Backstage Betrayal

by Krish Natarajan
Sight Lines and Strawberries Inc.

KC Arts Centre, Singapore

Fair is foul and foul is fair. The Strawlines Theatre Company proudly presents a new, avant garde staging of the Scottish Play but minutes into the opening night show, dashing lead actor Darian Hung (Irsyad Dawood) keels over and dies! Enter Singapore's first ever theatre detective, the slightly overconfident Maggi Mee Boy (Jit Dastidar), to the rescue. 

Backstage Betrayal is the second production in the Crack the Case series helmed by Sight Lines in collaboration with Strawberries Inc, an immersive murder mystery experience where audience members are thrown into the middle of a live murder investigation. We are introduced to four potential suspects - swaggering artistic director Gautham Dadlani (Shrey Bhargava), tough-as-nails stage manager Stacy Fang (Biwa Mastura) and two co-actors, Cherilyn Su (Rebecca Ashley Dass) and Gan Boon Tay (Darren Guo) - and tasked to help the detective piece together exactly what happened to Darian. 

Unlike last year's production Mind-Hunter where audiences could freely roam around, the creators have adopted a more structured approach here where audiences are grouped in teams according to the rows in which they sit and explore various spaces within the KC Arts Centre in a designated order. We get private moments with each of the suspects and look around for clues to unravel the mystery. It's more orderly but can also feel a little more static. 

Writer and co-director Krish Natarajan serves up a story that deliciously riffs on the local theatre industry (just look at the character names) while throwing in enough cryptic details to satisfy the most die-hard mystery fans. We are treated to extracts of Shakespeare alongside freewheeling rap, intimate confessionals and showy meltdowns. The cast commit fully to their roles throughout the experience, expertly reacting to audience interrogations and exposing tensions and secrets that lurk beneath the surface. 

Teams present their findings to the detective at the end and all is revealed in a final scene, making for a satisfying conclusion to the evening. My only request for future editions would be to go for a simple and elegant solution rather than double or triple plot twists that can feel a little contrived. 

Backstage Betrayal continues Sight Lines's great work in introducing new audiences to the theatre by infusing performance with an interactive gameplay element. It's a great activity to be enjoyed with family and friends and one can even opt for a VIP experience with bonus scenes, extra clues and a special photo session with the cast. Think of it as a board game or crime thriller brought to life. 

The show is fully sold out for the remainder of its run but keep your eyes peeled for a new Crack the Case concept to be revealed at the end of the year. A fun night out indeed.

The Crystalwords score: 3/5